The complete North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) used by the U.S. Census Bureau and federal agencies to classify businesses by industry. This dataset provides every code from two-digit sectors down to six-digit national industries, with titles and descriptions for each level.
Pro tip: Use the code hierarchy (2-digit sector, 3-digit subsector, etc.) to build drill-down filters in your CRM or lead database — start broad by sector and narrow to the exact six-digit industry.
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About the NAICS Codes Dataset
The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the standard used by federal statistical agencies to classify business establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data related to the U.S. business economy. Developed jointly by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, NAICS replaced the older Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system in 1997. This dataset includes every NAICS code from the broadest two-digit sectors through the most specific six-digit national industry codes, along with the official title and description for each entry.
Common Use Cases
NAICS codes appear throughout business operations, government filings, and market research. Here are the primary ways organizations use this dataset:
- Government contracting: Federal solicitations on SAM.gov require NAICS codes to define the scope of work. Contractors use this dataset to identify the correct codes for their capabilities and find relevant opportunities.
- Business registration: State and federal business registration forms ask for your primary NAICS code. Having the complete list helps you find the most accurate classification for your establishment.
- Market research and sizing: Analysts use NAICS codes to pull Census Bureau data, Bureau of Labor Statistics employment figures, and economic census data for specific industries.
- CRM and lead enrichment: Sales teams classify prospects by NAICS code to segment their pipeline by industry, enabling targeted outreach and industry-specific messaging.
Understanding the Code Structure
NAICS uses a six-digit hierarchical coding system. The first two digits designate the economic sector, the third digit designates the subsector, the fourth digit designates the industry group, the fifth digit designates the NAICS industry, and the sixth digit designates the national industry. For example, code 51 represents the Information sector, 511 narrows to Publishing Industries, 5112 focuses on Software Publishers, 51121 identifies Software Publishers as a NAICS industry, and 511210 specifies Software Publishers at the national level. This progressive structure allows data to be aggregated at any level of detail.
Column Reference
The dataset provides the essential fields needed for classification and lookup:
- code — The NAICS code, ranging from two to six digits. Codes are stored as strings to preserve leading zeros where applicable.
- title — The official industry title as published by the Census Bureau (e.g. "Software Publishers", "Full-Service Restaurants").
- description — A detailed description of the activities covered by this code, including examples of the types of establishments classified here.
- level — The hierarchy level: sector (2-digit), subsector (3-digit), industry_group (4-digit), naics_industry (5-digit), or national_industry (6-digit).
NAICS vs. SIC Codes
While NAICS has officially replaced the Standard Industrial Classification system, many organizations still reference SIC codes for backward compatibility. The key difference is structural: SIC uses a four-digit system with 10 broad divisions, while NAICS uses a six-digit system with 20 sectors. NAICS provides significantly more granularity, especially in service industries, technology, and information sectors that were underrepresented in SIC. If your workflow requires both systems, you can use the NAICS-to-SIC crosswalk tables published by the Census Bureau alongside this dataset to maintain compatibility with legacy systems and historical data.